“I’m a con artist in that I’m an actor. I make people believe something is real when they know perfectly well it isn’t,” said John Lithgow, and with five Emmys, two Tonys, two Golden Globes, and two Oscar nominations, I’d believe him. Hear him speak about his new autobiography on Tuesday, October 4th at the Kabuki Theater, presented by The Booksmith, who will also present Jeremy Rifkin on the same evening! Rifkin will discuss his new book “The Third Industrial Revolution,” which explores how Internet technology and renewable energy are merging to create a powerful “Third Industrial Revolution” that will transform the way we work and live in the 21st century. Also this Tuesday, over at City Arts and Lectures, Andy Borowitz will be in conversation w/ Paul Lancour. Borowitz, a comedian and writer whose twitter feed was recently voted #1 by a TIME magazine poll and whose work appears in the New Yorker, is also the man responsible for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. That’s right. He created the Fresh Prince. Pretty awesome in my book.

Poet Marianne Moore wrote that baseball, like writing, is exciting because “you can never tell with either how it will go.” On Wednesday, October 5th, see what she means firsthand by joining Matthew Zapruder, Robin Ekiss, Troy Jollimore, Ada Limon, Dean Rader, and Melissa Stein for the first annual Poetry World Series. Two teams of these up-and-coming Bay Area poets will take turns batting at a poem topic pitched to them by the audience, and only one will earn the title. Plus, this event will be moderated by Peg Alford Pursell (as if you needed a bonus with that roster of poets!). But maybe you didn’t get enough of Burning Man? Fireside Storytelling has you covered: join storytellers as they share some memorably good and not so good times from the notorious festival.

Thomas McGuane in conversation (8pm): From the comic pyrotechnics of his early novels, to his part in the freewheeling 1970s arts community of Livingston, Montana (including Richard Brautigan, Jim Harrison, and Sam Peckinpah), to his later works characterized by an increased connection to the natural world, McGuane is an original American writer. And you know Jack.

Sunday, 10/9 – Litquake (you might want to put a pot on the stove, but don’t forget about it):

Narratives from Women’s Prisons(2:30): Ayelet Waldman [watch this] and Justice Now’s Human Rights director Robin Levi will read from and discuss their new book, Women Inside: Narratives from America’s Incarcerated Women.This collection of stories of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women across the U.S. isthe newest book from McSweeney’s Voice of Witness, a nonprofit oral history book series.

“The Great Night” in Buena Vista Park (4pm): Don’t miss this if you can help it. Chris Adrian’s novel The Great Night,with fairies, maypoles, and twinkle lights. Pack a basket, bring a blanket, and join us for magic and revelry at the summit overlooking the city below. Featured readings and performance by Great Night author Chris Adrian, author Andrew Sean Greer, and emcee Daniel Handler, with fairy-inspired merriment provided by Booksmith’s Literary Clown Foolery troupe, and a dreamy string quartet to set the mood.

The Secret Life of Metaphor(4pm): Also, this should be fascinating: We utter about one metaphor for every ten to 25 words, or about six metaphors a minute. In this lively and informative talk (which includes live juggling of balls as well as words) James Geary shows how metaphor influences our attitudes, beliefs, and actions in surprising, hidden, and often oddball ways. See Geary speak at TED and peruse his blog.

Pitchapalooza (5pm): For those of you currently trying to get a book deal, or even thinking about it, this is a must-do. Like American Idol for books, only without Steven Tyler, 20 to 25 writers get one minute to pitch their book ideas to an all-star publishing panel, including David Henry Sterry, Sam Barry, and Kathi Kamen Goldmark. The winner receives an introduction to an agent or publisher. Anyone who buys The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published gets a free consultation worth $100. Last year’s Litquake winner Chris Cole got a publishing deal for his book! Footage from last year.

Adam Mansbach in conversation with Lyrics Born (7pm): Go the F**k to Sleep is a bedtime book that perfectly captures the familiar (and unspoken) tribulations of putting the little angel down for the night. Mansbach joins Lyrics Born and a host of young fathers in considering how best to get their little provocateurs tucked in—without actually uttering the title of the book.

Being Human: Brian Christian in conversation with Thomas Goetz (7pm): Can a machine be more human than a human? What, exactly, makes us “human” and how does language factor into this? Author and poet Brian Christian tackles this very contemporary philosophical question in his book The Most Human Human: What Talking With Computers TeachesUs What It Means to Be Alive. Litquake brings Christian to San Francisco for a conversation with Wired editor Thomas Goetz.

James Ellroy in conversation with Janis Cooke Newman (8pm): Notorious Los Angeles author James Ellroy, the self-described “demon dog of American crime fiction, the foul owl with the death growl,” returns to Litquake for an exclusive one-on-one conversation with author Janis Cooke Newman. Topics will range from Ellroy’s relentless and densely plotted writing style, to his adventures with women, adventures with Hollywood, and adventures within the recesses of his mind.

Is that enough for you? Want more? Of course you do. And you’re going to get it! Stay tuned for a detailed preview of Litquake… until soon.

City Lights presents philosopher Jonathon Keats in conversation with Michael Wall about Wall's "Out There: A Scientific Guide to Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel (For the Cosmically Curious)." The book is written in a question-and-answer format using humor and pop culture to make difficult ideas more palatable, which both does and doesn't mirror […]

Three Rooms Press presents a release party for the 12th issue of "Maintenant: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art," with readings by a wild list of contributors that includes Carol Dorf, Jack Hirschman, Maw Shein Win, Neeli Cherkovski and Mahnaz Badihian. At the famous Spec's Bar, guests are encouraged to get the full […]

Kiese Laymon visits Marcus Books Oakland to read from his remarkable new book "Heavy: An American Memoir," a layered and time-bending coming-of-age account of growing up in Jackson, Mississippi. Joining him is local poet and educator Tongo Eisen-Martin ("Heaven Is All Goodbyes"), whose dynamic recitations match the sustained emotional intensity of Laymon's prose.

D. A. Powell ("Useless Landscape, or A Guide for Boys") presents students of his USF Graduate Program in Writing course "San Francisco Poetics" reading new works. The students will share the stage with the poet and founding diretor of the program Aaron Shurin ("Citizen"), who reads and discusses his own work and how it relates […]

The 5th annual Howard Zinn Book Fair, themed "Fighting for the Air We Breathe," brings together authors, activists and critical thinkers for a day of readings, discussions and workshops that explore the value of dissident histories in building a better future. Volunteer-organized, the festival features a wide-ranging book fair and programming on everything from climate […]

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